_01132026-22

Town of Verona Natural and Recreational Areas Committee Minutes Town of Verona meeting 1-13-2026 Present: Bill Keen, Kirk Feller, Dave Lonsdorf, Jo Tucker Chair Keen called the meeting to order at 6:34 PM Approval of Agenda- Motion to approve agenda: by Feller, Second Tucker, passed 4-0 Approval of Minutes from November 11, 2025 Motion to approve, Tucker, Second Lonsdorf, passed 4-0 Public Comments-None Update from Chair/ Members: It was decided to keep having printed agendas and minutes for our meetings. Update from Board Member: Town is getting solar panels. Discuss decision by board about plant signs or brochures: Lonsdorf handed out sheet with plants and history of prairie. It was decided to start with just a brochure (trifold) with a picture of the town hall and history on the front (using bullet points), why a prairie on the next page, three pages with three plants and one page with other plants in the prairie with a link to descriptions of those plants not in the brochure. Keen will contact Sustain Verona for a template for the brochure. Discuss dark sky ordinance: Tucker read sections from the current town ordinance. She talked with board members and the town administrator and came up with suggestions. Enforcement and who is responsible for what was a major topic of discussion. A motion was created 1. NRAC has reviewed the current Town Dark Sky Ordinance and compared it to more recent ordinances implemented by other towns. While the Verona ordinance contains a good framework and seems to have been based on reasonable standards for the time period, we believe we could modify it to reference more recent advances in lighting and fixtures. We therefore request the board to commission NRAC to prepare an updated version for Board review and potential adoption and develop a plan for enforcement. 2. The town owns several lights and pays the bills for those as well as other non-owned lights. NRAC believes some of these lights are outdated as to fixtures and lighting types, resulting in higher than necessary utility bills and light pollution for neighbors and the environment. We therefore request the Board have its public works director implement changes to these lights in order to save money and preserve the night sky. This motion was made by Tucker with a second by Feller. The vote was 4-0. Next meeting: NRAC will meet on February 17, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Motion to adjourn: by Lonsdorf, Second by Tucker, Passed 4-0 at 7:53 p.m.